


Can't Hold Out Forever

by ThayerKerbasy



Series: The Misadventures of Growley and Squirrel [10]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Canon Compliant, Demon Dean Winchester, F/M, Flirting, Innuendo, Karaoke, M/M, Multi, POV Crowley (Supernatural), Post-Episode: s09e23 Do You Believe In Miracles?, Pre-Episode: s10e01 Black, Songfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-11
Updated: 2019-01-11
Packaged: 2019-10-08 10:16:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,710
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17384609
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThayerKerbasy/pseuds/ThayerKerbasy
Summary: Sating the Mark of Cain's murderous impulses didn't have quite the restorative effect Crowley had hoped for, though it did stop Dean from picking fights everywhere he went.  Back from their road trip for karaoke with the triplets, Crowley was going to have to adjust his expectations.





	Can't Hold Out Forever

Some things never changed, and the Black Spur was definitely one of those things. Sitting in the most depressing dive of the dullest town in what was a strong candidate for most hopeless state, Crowley sipped a mostly disappointing beer and watched Dean watch (and wait for his turn at) karaoke.

Dean and the triplets were perhaps the bar’s only redeeming features, which, of course, was why he’d tried and tried to get them to drink somewhere else. Unfortunately, the triplets only wanted to drink at the bar which was conveniently on their way home from work, and Dean legitimately liked the place, so there was no escaping the cesspit of human misery.

It was Bear’s turn at karaoke, for once not prodded onstage by anyone, having signed up of his own free will. He’d been making calf eyes at Crowley all evening which was something Crowley had meant to discourage, but somehow never got around to, which led to Bear’s somewhat embarrassing performance on stage. At that point, it almost felt like too much trouble to bother saying anything. Much easier to let the fellow moon over him.

_I tell myself that I can’t hold out forever_  
_I said there is no reason for my fear_  
_‘Cause I feel so secure when we’re together_  
_You give my life direction_  
_You make everything so clear_  


From the looks on their faces, Bear’s brothers knew exactly who he was serenading, but Dean seemed oblivious. Not that Dean was paying attention to the other singers. He’d thus far ignored everyone on stage, preferring to talk to the triplets and plan the night’s debauchery, and apparently even losing one of the three to the stage didn’t change that.

While Bear crooned REO Speedwagon and Dean and Sir Knight enthusiastically discussed the merits of various types of bondage gear, Sparky kept looking across the room. Crowley followed his gaze to a table where a blonde woman — likely relaxing after her shift at Quick Post, going by the wardrobe — sat watching the performance with a glass of wine in hand.

Crowley sighed a purely internal sigh. He didn’t sign up for relationship drama. The triplets were supposed to have been a highly entertaining one night stand, but somewhere along the way things had gotten muddled. Bear had gone from casually interested to romantically obsessed. The once-cautious Sir Knight seemed to have lost all reservations and was airing his kinks in public. As for Sparky, that was a whole other level of complicated. Sparky knew too much.

Their server returned with refills for Dean and Sir Knight, and if the smile she gave Dean seemed extra friendly, she had no idea what she was signing up for. Dean had apparently recovered from his brief affliction of homicidal tendencies, but the fact remained that becoming a demon had dealt a fatal blow to his personality. There was an arsehole’ish quality to Dean which hadn’t been present before, and there didn’t appear to be any remedy.

The delivery woman had apparently noticed Sparky’s interest because she locked eyes with him, took a sip of her wine, and beckoned him over with a crook of her finger. That was a possible solution to one problem, at least. When Sparky noticed it wasn’t just the woman watching him, Crowley dredged up a smile and offered silent encouragement. At least one of them deserved a shot at happiness.

_And I can’t fight this feeling anymore_  
_I’ve forgotten what I started fighting for_  
_It’s time to bring this ship into the shore_  
_And throw away the oars, forever_  


Dean didn’t even notice when Sparky got up and left for the woman’s table, so busy was he in flirting with their server, though Sir Knight saw and grinned approval. The woman across the room welcomed Sparky with a smile and a gesture offering him a seat at her table, which Sparky accepted.

It was a good thing, of course. Years ago, Crowley would have simply slaughtered his bedmates when he was done with them to avoid such emotional entanglements and other assorted complications, but the lingering effects of human blood had changed him in ways which unfortunately showed no signs of reversing. If Sparky wanted to run off with some “glass of wine after a hard day at work” woman, that simply meant less hassle for Crowley.

Of course, he knew the truth about Dean and Crowley and hadn’t said anything, not even to his brothers. That much was obvious, given how normal Bear and Sir Knight were behaving — as normal as they ever were, at any rate. Sparky knew that he’d had a pair of demons in his bed and kept that titillating fact all to himself, talked Crowley through his problems the next morning, and even invited them out again. Sure, he’d fearlessly ordered Crowley around in bed, fulfilling desires Crowley had been unable to even consider since claiming the throne of Hell, but some things were only made possible through blissful ignorance. Given the suggestion again, Sparky would undoubtedly balk, if not because of that then because he’d looked into Crowley’s eyes and seen more than one truth. No, it was definitely best that he find his happiness in the arms of another, however much Crowley might wish otherwise.

Besides, with Sparky occupied, Dean and Crowley were left with one brother apiece, though the task still remained to mute, or at least muffle, the pair’s inconvenient feelings for them. After all, when it came down to brass tacks, the only point of them was to serve as a bridge between himself and Dean, and they’d done that, if not emotionally then certainly physically. If it weren’t for everyone else Dean kept picking up along the way, Crowley would have been done with them entirely.

Their server lingered after distributing drinks, smiling and chatting up Dean while Sir Knight looked politely disappointed. The bar wasn’t exactly empty, and there was always call for more drinks on a karaoke night, but that didn’t stop her from parking her soft, slender body in front of Dean for longer than was strictly necessary.

Crowley sighed. Just because he’d expected the latest easy blonde to interrupt their night didn’t mean he had to like it. “If you don’t mind, darling, we’re trying to watch our friend perform.”

“You know, I’ve been watching, and I don’t think any of you have been paying attention to him since he got up there.” She flashed a mostly-sincere smile. “You must’ve been a million miles away when I introduced myself. I’m Anne Marie.”

“Crowley,” he replied. “Charmed. We’ll call you over if we need anything else.”

Dean smirked. “Oh, Anne Marie already knows exactly what I need, don’t you, sweetheart?”

Coy smile still playing about her lips, she gave Dean a once-over glance. “I have a pretty good idea, yeah. I go on break in about an hour. See you then?”

“Mhm.”

It was hardly heartfelt, but then, none of Dean’s interactions were anymore. It was as if becoming a demon had sucked the very life out of him, leaving naught but mindless pleasure-seeking with no care for those who suffered for it, or at least any semblance of care ran only skin-deep. The new Dean had no fucks to give, though he certainly claimed his fair share and more.

Nothing Crowley had done had come even close to changing that and he suspected nothing ever would. There remained only one option. It wasn’t exactly necessary that he follow through right that instant, however. There was time for one last howl at the moon.

_‘Cause I can’t fight this feeling anymore_  
_I’ve forgotten what I started fighting for_  
_And if I have to crawl upon the floor_  
_Come crashing through your door_  
_Baby, I can’t fight this feeling anymore_  


Crowley forced himself to take another sip of his barely tolerable beer. “Of course. You’re going to throw away the chance to have your way with the lot of us in exchange for a quick grope out back, whereupon she’ll protest it’s too soon and she’s a nice girl and maybe you could look at the stars and kiss a little more.”

“Hmm.” Dean contemplated his beer before taking a swig. “You think I can’t finesse my way into her pants tonight?” 

“Oh, you probably could, but she’d instantly regret it and never give you the time of day again, and you don’t exactly have too many other options here if you blow it with this one. Alternately, one night of being a gentleman buys all sorts of future credit. In the meantime, I believe we had plans.”

Sir Knight spoke up then, having been silent throughout. “I never really expected anything more than a bit of fun from you guys, but if you’re really not interested, we can go. Looks like Stef’s maybe got someone, and I’m sure me and Clay ’ll be just fine. Still, it’d be nice if we could go through Stef’s closet and some fun, just the four of us.”

Though Dean said nothing, it was clear their words had made their point. Crowley liked to think he’d learned a thing or two in the course of their summer together. No one could tell Dean what to do, but lay out his options and he’d choose the most selfish, hedonistic path every time. Already, he looked from Sir Knight to Bear and back again with a speculative glint in his eye.

Bear accepted applause for his performance and threaded his way back through the room, hoisting his beer upon his return and tossing back a swig. “Well? What’d you think?”

“I think,” replied Crowley, “this is going to be a night for the Flickr album.”

If it was all coming to an end, he wasn’t going to rock the boat. Best to leave things be until he could have a word with Sir Knight about the best way to handle his brother. After all, no sense spoiling the night when they’d all agreed on a casual romp, no strings attached. It would’ve been nice to have Sparky join them, but it was worth not having him if it meant a clean break. There was something to be said for letting go and not looking back.

**Author's Note:**

> I officially have too many series on the go. I never meant to leave this one sitting for so long, but there was always something else and it always felt like too much effort to get back into this, until last month's Coldest Hits had the theme "songfic". I was working on Hot and Sticky Loafmaking at the time, plus the whole Christmas thing, so I never found time to write for Coldest Hits, but I had this idea and it wouldn't leave me alone, so as soon as I had nothing else on my plate, I let all the words fall out onto the page. It's not as long as most of the fics in this series, but it's exactly as long as it needed to be.
> 
> As always, huge thanks to my lovely beta reader and sometimes co-writer, [grey2510](https://archiveofourown.org/users/grey2510). Grey helps me shore up the weak spots so the story can shine.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed the story. I love to read your comments, so please feel free to share your thoughts. We're getting close to the end now, which is something I wasn't sure I'd ever say about this, and I have no doubt that it's been your kind words that have kept me writing, so thanks for that.
> 
> I'm on Tumblr, but I don't particularly agree with their policies these days, so if you want to keep up with me you can find me on Pillowfort as [Thayer](https://www.pillowfort.io/Thayer), or if you just want to know when I've posted something, subscribe directly to me on ao3 and get alerts for my fics delivered to your inbox.


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